The SSG Landers starting lineup is finding its footing again.
SSG won the 11th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the Hanwha Eagles 6-1 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on April 30. The offense was well-supported, including Park Sung-ho’s tying hit and Choi Jung-jeong’s game-winning hit, but starter Oh Won-seok was well-protected.
Oh Won-seok pitched five innings of three-hit ball, striking out five and walking one to earn his sixth win of the season. It was the first win in six games for the right-hander, who hadn’t taken a loss since pitching five innings of one-run ball against Samsung Electronics on May 25.
Catcher Kim Min-sik, who received the ball from Oh, said, “I didn’t do anything special with Won Seok-i before the game, but I focused on throwing strikes,” adding, “I saw his condition and balance today and led with the pitches I could throw for the most strikes. We threw a lot of changeups in the beginning of the count battle and then went for the fastball, which also led to good results.”
SSG ended the weekend three-game series against Hanwha with a sweep thanks to Oh’s strong performance. The encouraging thing about the three-game series is that the homegrown starters did their job.
In the previous day’s game, returning submarine pitcher Park Jong-hoon earned the win with a six-hit, no-hit shutout that resurrected his “eagle killer” reputation. Aside from foreign pitchers Roenis Elias and Kirk McCarty, SSG’s homegrown starters have been sorely missed.
Even with Jong-hoon’s no-hitter, SSG’s starting pitching staff has a 4.58 ERA through 29 days, the worst among the league’s 10 teams. “In the end, only when the starting staff is stable can we break the losing streak and have the strength to fight,” said Kim Won-hyung.
The importance of the starting lineup is emphasized by different managers. In the case of the LG Twins, they acquired Choi Won-tae in a trade with the Kiwoom Heroes to defend their top spot, so it’s important to have a stable starting lineup. In this regard, the strong pitching of Park Jong-hoon and Oh Won-seok is good news for SSG.
If the starting lineup is stable, the bullpen will be able to avoid overload and maintain its strength. After two days of strong pitching from Park Jong-hoon and Oh Won-seok, SSG has the strength to chase down first place.메이저놀이터
“We gave up a run in the first inning, but Won-seok didn’t get excited and pitched well, which led to good pitching afterward,” said Kim Min-sik. “Yesterday, Jong-hoon showed a good game, and today, Won-seok showed a good game as a homegrown starter, and although it hasn’t been a few games yet, I think we will have good results if we prepare well.”